A thousand runs within a mile

On April 16, 2017 By Emerging Runner2 Comments

Didn’t seem like the same old route when I ran it today

Today’s run (street): 4.3 miles
Yesterday’s run (street): 3.2 miles
Tuesday’s run (street): 3.2 miles

Last weekend’s run ~~with goats~~ was an unusual break from my quotidian weekend workouts. I always appreciate the runs I do that go beyond the constraints of my local roads, trails, parks or the track. More often than not, I find myself running on the same streets I’ve covered a thousand times before. So far this week I’ve managed to get in three runs, all within a mile of my house.

Sometimes I ask myself why I used to be so quick to jump in the car and head out to Stillwell Woods, Bethpage, Eisenhower or Belmont State Park every chance I had. I do that occasionally, but usually it’s because I’m seeing my buddies. That ~~trumps~~ tops any laziness that keeps me neighborhood bound. This morning I ran through all the possible venues, but ended up taking the easiest route. That was the one that begins at the end of my driveway.

Besides expanding my running geography, I also need to work on increasing my distances and consistently getting my heart rate into and above the 80% max rage. I didn’t make much progress on any of that today. I went out in 50° weather to run close to my home. My one concession to the mundane was to follow a new route. On the map, it may look like every other run I do. But today I ran it in a different direction.

Tomorrow is supposed to be another nice weather day. It’s Easter and I’m hoping that will mean quiet roads and empty trails. I may run outside my neighborhood this weekend after all. Meanwhile, Runsketeer buddies KWL and SIOR will be in my hometown to run the 121st staging of the Boston Marathon. I’m excited for them. They have both trained hard and I’m hoping that they have great experiences. If I were ever to run a marathon, it would be that one.

Low volume this week but a decent run today

On December 4, 2016 By Emerging RunnerLeave a comment

At least I didn’t skip today

Today’s run (street): 4.3 miles
Friday’s run (street): 3.2 miles
Last Sunday’s run (street): 3.2 miles

This has not been a good week for my running. I’m at that point in the year where business activity peaks for a few intense weeks in December before going quiet as everyone shifts into holiday mode. That’s meant longer days and less inclination to work out when I get home. I know I should try to run a couple of miles in the morning before I start my day, but I can’t get into that mode right now. Making things worse this week was a Saturday schedule that had me out the door before 6:00 AM. That kept me busy the rest of the day, so no Saturday run this week.

I did run on Friday and it was fine, but slower than I’ve been averaging. I don’t know if it was due to my busy work schedule, but I felt tired throughout the run. I had no time to get out before my early start yesterday and thought I’d go for a late afternoon run when I got home. I ended up feeling too tired to run, but I did do a long neighborhood walk and ended up with over 10K steps for the day.

I turned in early last night and got a rare 8 hours of sleep. Even so, my energy level was low when I got up. After a small breakfast and a big cup of coffee I was feeling more energetic. I put on my new ASICS Men’s Essential Pants that I got for a great price from Running Warehouse. The weight of these pants is lighter than my beloved City Sports track pants, but perfect for this morning’s 39° weather. I added my ASICS thermal beanie and a winter weight half zip and my Balston wool socks. I looked in the mirror and realized I was head to toe in black like a very slow ninja.

I’ve lost a little speed over the past few weeks and I’m pacing about 5% slower than I had throughout November. My cadence hasn’t dropped but my stride length has shortened a bit. I’m not too concerned about that. My heart rate has been averaging about 75% of max so I should be pushing harder. My running hasn’t felt particularly easy so perceived effort is obviously higher than my real effort.

Today’s runaround

Today’s run was a meandering tour of my neighborhood. I enjoyed looking at the holiday decorations and laughed at the deflated Santas, snowmen, reindeer and elves laying across lawns, waiting to be filled with air after the sun goes down. There were a few hardy souls out walking their dogs, some walkers and a runner who suddenly appeared from a side road. I came close to overtaking him but he split to the left while I continued heading right.

I wanted to cover at least four miles and managed a little more than that. I did step up my pace as I got closer to home and proved to myself that I could move back into target range if I was willing to maintain the intensity. At this point I’m still running better than I have over the past two years but I need to decide how hard I’m willing to work to continue improving. The Runsketeers had planned to run a 5K on Saturday until we encountered scheduling conflicts. I didn’t feel ready to race this weekend so it’s probably for the best.

The crowded track and the happy trail

On November 27, 2016 By Emerging RunnerLeave a comment

Full house in the Bethpage lot

Today’s run (Bethpage bike trail): 4.6 miles
Yesterday’s run (track): 3.6 miles

I’m very much enjoying my Thanksgiving break that feels a lot like a mini-vacation. I’m happy to have one more day off before returning to the office. We’ve kept busy this week but I’ve done my best to avoid anything resembling a mall or store. If on-line Black Friday sales are legitimate, there are a few running related things I’d like to get. But to do that, I would need to make an effort to look at a bunch of websites to find what I want. Why does this have to be so hard??

I ran in my neighborhood on both Wednesday and Thursday and that was pleasant, but I felt the need to do something different on Friday. Running laps at the high school seemed to fit that definition so I headed over to the track. A second cup of coffee delayed my getting outside and I got to the school a little later than planned. Luck seemed to be with me, because it appeared as though I had the place to myself. Just one other car in the lot and its owner was nowhere in sight.

The empty track didn’t surprise me. I figured most people would have either slept in or headed out to the stores. I made my way to my starting point and noticed a stream of athletically suited people gathering along the opposite end of the oval. I took off counterclockwise and, as I approached the crowd, I saw that it was the Syosset girls cross country team getting ready to take over the track. “Oh good,” I thought, “Now I get to be humiliated by 30 teenage girls who will pass me like I’m walking.”

It didn’t actually turn out that way. We managed to coexist perfectly. The runners ran together in a clockwise direction and left an open lane for me. I considered running some repeats but due to the crowded lanes, I elected to stick with laps. Running a flat route with little wind, I averaged a few seconds faster than usual.

Yesterday’s scenic route

This morning felt colder than what was reported by the news. I resisted the temptation to bundle up and wore shorts with a long sleeve shirt. I went over to Bethpage with no particular workout or direction in mind. When I got to the park there were a lot of cars making their way toward the lot which was almost full by the time I parked. A big soccer tournament was going on and I saw a lot of runners standing around in groups. There may have been a cross country meet taking place closer to the woods.

I decided to run north beyond Haypath Road and back. There were many people on the trail and I wondered if some organized event was happening. Every runner I encountered gave me a wave or a hello, as did lots of walkers. It was a happy time for people on the trail.

Today’s more scenic route

I went as far as Old Bethpage Road and turned around. I ran well and while the hills looked big today, they didn’t feel as challenging as usual. My cadence was slightly better than average, so I was a little surprised that my data showed middling performance. That didn’t matter a bit to me, because the run felt solid and it was great to be out among the trees, accompanied by nice people.

I can’t believe I have yet another day before I have to go back to work. I’m looking forward to doing my fifth run in as many days. So far my Thanksgiving to New Year’s streak is 4 days, but it’s likely to stop there. I’ll see how I feel on Monday morning when I wake up many hours before sunrise.

Effortless Thanksgiving run, but not in a good way

On November 25, 2016 By Emerging Runner4 Comments

Today’s run (street): 3.6 miles
Yesterday’s run (street): 3.2 miles

Happy Thanksgiving! I worked from home yesterday and have been feeling the holiday spirit since wrapping up work on Wednesday afternoon. SIOR is ~~shaming~~ encouraging everyone to do the Thanksgiving to New Year’s streak that involves running at least a mile every day. So far, I’m good. I even ran yesterday, and I’m wondering if I can apply that to a day during the streak when I can’t run.

Yesterday’s run was fairly textbook. Usual route, usual pace. I’m hard pressed to recall anything interesting about it except that the roads were almost completely free of cars. Neighborhood running is much better when schools are out. No buses or parents doing drop offs. I enjoyed having the streets to myself.

During that run, my heart rate was hovering around 75% of max, which did not match my harder perceived effort. I found it interesting that I matched my usual pace with a 6% lower heart rate. Is that an indicator of improved fitness? If so, then why did it feel so challenging?

If you look carefully, today’s route resembles a turkey

This morning I went out fairly early when the real feel temperature was 31°. I wore two top layers and track pants. At the last minute I added a fleece vest. That helped a lot, because running directly into the wind was pretty unpleasant. I originally thought about going to the track this morning but decided that a Thanksgiving run should happen closer to home. I chose a different route than normal and looked forward to another traffic free experience.

Like Wednesday, my perceived effort on today’s run was greater than my actual heart rate indicated. I was puzzled to see that the Garmin showed my HR at around 71% of max. I felt like I was working a lot harder than that, closer to 80% range. By the time I finished, I’d managed to push it to 79%. My pace confirmed the data and I saw that I ran 50 seconds per mile slower than yesterday.

I’m not sure why my running is feeling a little tough right now. Last night we went out to dinner and saw a good friend. It was a big meal and maybe that bogged me down a bit this morning. If that’s all it takes, tomorrow should be more of the same. We had quite the Thanksgiving feast today, put together with the team of Mrs ER and ER daughter. Feeling sleepy now, but I’m sure I’ll get my second wind soon.

A race happened in the middle of my run

On November 13, 2016 By Emerging Runner6 Comments

Today’s colorful route

Today’s run (street): 5.1 miles

For no obvious reason, my performance took a small dip this weekend. I hit my average pace on Friday, but came up about 20 seconds per mile slower yesterday and this morning. Saturday was chilly and the wind made it feel like 35°. I know there were points during the run when running directly into the wind slowed me down. Overall, I felt like I moved along fairly well.

The good news, I guess, is that this 20 second penalty still put me a minute and half per mile faster than my abysmal August average. I had plenty of rest over the last two days so I’m puzzled by these numbers. It’s not like I’ve returned to the “running by rote” style that I’d defaulted to after my lower back disc injury in late 2014. It may simply be a case where some runs just go slower than others.

Setting up for the 5K

This morning’s conditions felt a little warmer, but there was still some wind. That made the real feel temperature closer to 41°. I dressed appropriately and felt like I was running okay. I started with a loop around the business park where I noticed a bunch of traffic cones on the road and concluded that the were setting up for a race. It turned out to be the Blue Ribbon Run for Prostate Cancer® 5K that goes through both this business park and Syosset-Woodbury Park. I briefly considered running the race, but I was already a couple of miles into my run.

My route today turned out to be interestingly circuitous. After completing my loop of the park that traced miles 1 and 2 of the 5K course, I ducked into an adjacent neighborhood and ran to Woodbury Road where I picked up the tail end of the Bethpage bike trail. I followed that to Froehlich Farm Boulevard and ran through the office park, where both my dentist and my opioid dealing orthopedist practice. I doubled back along Woodbury Road, through the other half of the neighborhood, and finally back home.

I really pushed on the last mile, but the numbers don’t reflect my perceived effort. The important thing was that I tried and my heart rate confirmed that. Garmin Connect showed that my cadence was good, but my stride length was about 10% shorter than where it should be to get the speed I want to run. My dad sent me a link to this video in the NYTimes that looks really interesting. I’ll try it and see if it yields any performance benefits. I’m going to skip the barefoot requirement because I’m not Tarahumaran.

Lighter but no faster

On July 30, 2016 By Emerging RunnerLeave a comment

Running route or AT-AT?

Today’s run (street): 4.5 miles
Yesterday’s run (treadmill): 3.2 miles

Yesterday morning’s rain forced me onto the dreaded treadmill, but there was nothing to dread. We’ve been having an issue with the treadmill tread bed being stuck on incline. Even when set on a decline, the angle was elevated. My wife uses the treadmill daily and has not enjoyed running uphill her entire workout. I played with the controls and somehow got it unstuck.

I know my evangelizing about minimizing sugar is getting tiresome, but I can point to it as the reason for a string of good runs. My last treadmill experience had been at the fitness center in our hotel in Boston. I ran very well that day, partly because I’d been off of processed sugar for a week and partly because I ❤ fitness center treadmills. Despite using our far less exotic Free Motion machine, I felt rock solid on Friday, without the fatigue (some of it mental) that I usually experience when I run on it.

I got out early enough this morning to avoid direct sun. I decided to change up my route and followed Jericho Turnpike down to SOB Road so I could check out the newly paved path from beginning to end. Although the heat was moderate, the humidity was rising. Those conditions would normally be enough for me to consider cutting my run short. I didn’t cross my mind and, in fact, I ended up adding another half mile to my four mile target.

I’m not sure how much of my running improvement has come from the physical response to a change in diet. I’m sure some of this is due to being six pounds lighter since I started paying attention to sugar and simple carbs. Despite all that good stuff, I’m still as slow as ever. I did try to focus on speed a number of times but I couldn’t sustain it for more than a couple of minutes. Once I’m confident that I can tap into my newfound energy, I’ll pick up the pace.

Running the SOB route

On July 17, 2016 By Emerging Runner2 Comments

At long last

Today’s run (street): 4.25 miles

As the old proverb goes, nothing succeeds like success. In my case, this means good running experiences are changing my attitude about running. In a very short time, my view of running has greatly improved. Rather than dragging myself out the door because I know I should, I now look forward to every run.

It was cooler this morning (75°) than yesterday, but the humidity was ferocious. I wondered how I’d do under those conditions. Things started out well, although I did feel a little taxed as I made it to the end of first rise. I quickly bounced back and had no further trouble, even on bigger hills. I was going to follow one of my usual routes, but then I remembered that the sidewalks along South Oyster Bay Road had just reopened. Or I thought they did.

I’ve complained for years that the sidewalks along SOB were a disgrace. The concrete was in such disrepair that it was even hazardous to walk over its broken slabs. Running on it was downright dangerous. I made my way over to SOB Road at my first opportunity and saw newly paved concrete and brick stretching as far as the eye could see. I also saw a sign showing the sidewalk was still closed to the public. I decided it didn’t apply to me.

It was nice having another route option and I followed the sidewalk all the way to the library where it was again blocked off. I would have kept going but there was a police officer standing on the corner of the fire station driveway. Instead, I cut through the library lot to the service road and ducked back into the neighborhood from there. The thought of finishing never crossed my mind and I headed north to pick up another mile before heading home.

In terms of performance, today was a little better than I’d been averaging a month ago, but not especially fast. I know I can run faster, but right now I’m just enjoying, rather than dreading my workouts. I don’t want to push too hard or heighten expectations too quickly. My goal now is to be able to do a Runsketeers run and stay with my buddies the entire time. SIOR injured her knee and KWL is in Asia, but when the recoveries and travel are over, I look forward to seeing them and TPP who is spending a LOT of time riding with her bike group.

Neighborhood run around

On May 22, 2016 By Emerging Runner6 Comments

Old neighborhood, new directions

Today’s run (street): 4.75 miles
Yesterday’s run (street): 3.25 miles
Sunday’s run (Bethpage): 5.1 miles

Another busy work week resulted in a zero workouts between Monday and Thursday. Last Sunday I went to Bethpage and ran along the northern end of the bike trail from Haypath to Washington Ave and back. I worked from home yesterday and got in a surprisingly brisk run around my neighborhood. This morning I planned to meet SIOR at Massepequa Preserve for a group run, but I had an unexpected issue that delayed me from getting out early enough.

Everything worked out and I considered a number of places to run (the track, Stillwell, business park…) but ended up sticking close to home. My one concession to routine was to run without a planned route. I picked a direction and chose lefts and rights at random. After seeing the route map on Garmin Connect, I realized that it looked pretty much like my usual pattern. What was different was the order and direction that made it seem like a different experience.

Only so many ways to cover these streets

Two years ago this weekend, me and my buddies ran the Brooklyn Half. There’s no way I’d be ready to do that today. I want to start working on my base and hope to get in five or more miles tomorrow. According to the latest prediction, the weather should start to clear around 8 AM. I may bite the bullet and go out earlier even if the rain is still coming down. Maybe I’ll run at the track. If the rain gets too bad, I’ll never be more than 200 meters from my car.

Mother’s Day soaker run

On May 8, 2016 By Emerging Runner2 Comments

Gray skies are gonna clear up

Today’s run (street): 3.5 miles

Happy Mother’s Day. In the spirit of the holiday, I got going early so I could get my run out of the way before celebrations ensued. These celebrations included gestures of giving, such as making the bed before my wife could and putting up a shelf that resembles a surf board for my daughter. That one was trickier than it sounds. I plan to empty the dishwasher too. But don’t hold me to that.

It was dark and gloomy before 7 AM and I thought about using the treadmill for a nanosecond. I quickly decided that running in the rain would be a preferable choice. Out the window, the precipitation seemed minimal, although the weather report warned that Long Island would be getting more rain. I put on my new running rain jacket, the Spira XLTs that I use in wet weather and some wool socks that came in handy during the run.

Predictably, the rain started to pick up the minute I stepped outside. I mapped a route that looped around my immediate neighborhood. I figured that if the weather got really bad, I’d never be more than a half mile from my house. I put on the jacket’s hood and took off. Despite the 49° temperature and the high humidity, I still felt a little chilly. I knew that my jacket, with its lack of venting, would warm me up as I went on.

My 1.2 mile loop

I expected to be the only one on the road this morning and was surprised to see people out walking and riding bikes. I suspect those people scurried for cover once the skies opened up. The humidity began to fog my glasses. Between that and the rain, my forward visibility had been reduced to to less than 30 feet. But 30 feet was all I needed.

Around mile two, my fogged view prevented me from noticing some pooling at the intersection of two connecting roads. I cursed when I felt the water saturate my right shoe. The only thing worse than running in the rain is running with soaking shoes and socks. Fortunately, I had a pair of Ballston socks that can get soaked and still provide warmth and blister protection. It wasn’t the most pleasant feeling, but neither is running in the rain in general.

My three loops totaled 3.5 miles which I thought was a decent effort on such a miserable day. Had I waited a few more hours, I would have been running in sunny, but windy conditions. But I got my run done by 8:00 AM and my Fitbit captured over 7,000 steps in the process. Time for more Mother’s Day celebrating. For the record, I did empty the dishwasher.

A blooming good run

On April 24, 2016 By Emerging RunnerLeave a comment

Where have all the flowers gone? In my mouth.

Today’s run (street): 4.5 miles
Yesterday’s workout (elliptical): 21 minutes

Today is day one of my vacation. Eight days, plus what’s left of this one to do ~~whatever I want~~ everything my wife needs me to do. Actually my list is fairly light and I like having projects. I’m happy to avoid five days of commuting and excited to have more time to run during the week.

I worked from home on Friday and would normally have gone for a 3+ mile run in the morning. An exhausting work week left me low on energy so I ended up doing a short elliptical session rather than doing nothing. That turned out to be a good compromise, because that short targeted workout helped my energy level throughout the day.

This morning I was feeling ready to run, but the wet weather was encouraging me to stay inside. We had early plans and I wanted to get my workout started as soon as possible. The clock was ticking and my wife was doing her treadmill run. The rain started to let up, so I put on a short sleeve shirt and running shorts and got the heck outside.

Today’s route

I had no route planned so I picked a random direction and took off. That direction took me around the middle school and then through the northern part of my neighborhood. I headed south from there and followed a few roads that used to be the main part of my daily run. I felt great and, although it wasn’t an impressive performance, everything (breathing, stride, energy level) was working well.

The wind picked up near the end of my run and that caused the only problem I encountered. The breezes were shaking blooms off the sycamore and dogwood trees and the effect was like white and yellow snowfall. It was pretty, but the tiny flowers kept getting in mouth. I forced myself to breath through my nose and that worked fine. I was pleasantly surprised that I didn’t have an allergic reaction to all this flora.

I was glad to cover almost five miles today and I hope to go a little longer tomorrow. If the weather stays good, I’m going to try to get out for a run every day of this vacation.